Monday Scripture:
Matthew 21:12-13 (Jesus in the temple) and John 7:53-8:11 (Jesus and the stone throwers).
 

• Tell the stories: Jesus went into the temple and became angry at what he saw. Crowds brought forward a woman they thought should be punished by having stones thrown at her. Jesus told them that whoever had never missed the mark should throw the first stone. They walked away.
  • Read Matthew 21:12-13 and John 7:53-8:11
  • Read pages 250 and 252 in the Shine On story Bible.

• Prime the pump:
  • Things to notice:
    • The “temple incident” is also found in Mark 11:15-19, Luke 19:45-48 and John 2:13-22. Read these versions and notice similarities and differences.
  • Background information:
    • Why is Jesus so angry in the temple? There’s economic inequity going on here. If a person can only worship by making a sacrifice, and a sacrifice costs money, and a currency exchange is needed for that because the temple will only accept one currency...well, you can see the way it becomes harder for a poor person to worship God. This temple is the one they rebuilt upon their return from the exile, meant for worship, and instead it’s a place to make money.
    • Roman law forbid execution for adultery. The “law” referred to here is Leviticus 20:10. Maybe they were testing Jesus to see which law he was loyal to?
  • Conversation starters:
    • The story of the stones holds our common refrain from this year - the people miss the mark, but God sticks with the people. Read the story with the big story in mind and see what you notice.

• Activity prompt:
  • Create art out of stones or rocks. Turn what could be a tool of violence into a thing of beauty.